(a) The authority shall have the following powers, together with all powers incidental to the following powers or necessary for the performance of those powers, to:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 7-69-103

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Board: means the board of directors of the authority. See Tennessee Code 7-69-102
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Governing body: means the legislative body of the creating municipality or municipalities. See Tennessee Code 7-69-102
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Municipality: means any municipality or county incorporated or existing under the laws of Tennessee, or any combination of any municipality or county incorporated or existing under the laws of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 7-69-102
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Project: means a facility or group of facilities to be owned or controlled (either through ownership, lease, or an easement) by the authority or other governmental entity and that is available for use by the public, including, without limitation, visitor centers, performing arts centers, museums, recreational facilities such as greenways and trails, and other government-owned tourist attractions. See Tennessee Code 7-69-102
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Tourism: means the planning and conducting of programs of information and publicity designed to attract tourists, visitors and other interested persons from outside the area of the municipality or municipalities creating the authority and also encouraging and coordinating the efforts of other public and private organizations or groups of citizens to publicize the facilities and attractions of the area, and shall also include the acquisition, construction, and remodeling of facilities useful in the attraction and promoting of tourists, conventions, and recreational business. See Tennessee Code 7-69-102
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Sue and be sued and to prosecute and defend, at law or in equity, in any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter and of the parties;
(2) Acquire, whether by purchase, construction, exchange, gift, lease, or otherwise, and design, plan, site, improve, repair, extend, equip, furnish, operate and maintain one (1) or more projects, which projects shall be within the jurisdictional boundaries of the governmental entities establishing the authority, including all real and personal properties that the board of directors of the authority may deem necessary in connection with the projects and regardless of whether or not any such projects shall then be in existence, and including the power to demolish any existing structures as may be on sites acquired when such structures are not needed for the project;
(3) To appoint agents and employees, describe their qualifications and fix their compensation;
(4) Operate, maintain, manage, and enter into contracts for the operation, maintenance and management of any project undertaken, and to make rules and regulations with regard to such operation, maintenance and management;
(5) Employ, contract with, fix the compensation of, and discharge engineering, architectural, legal, financial and other professional experts, consultants, agents and employees as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and to provide for the proper construction, operation and maintenance of any project;
(6) Lease, rent and contract for the operation of all or any part of any project, and charge and collect rent for the project and terminate any such lease upon the failure of the lessee to comply with any of the obligations of the lease and include in or exclude from any such lease provisions that the lessee shall have the option to renew the term of the lease for such period or periods and at such rent as shall be determined by the board of directors;
(7) Lease such space in a project as from time to time may not be needed for related purposes to any other person, corporation, partnership or association for such purposes as the board of directors may determine are in the best interest of the authority or will help facilitate the purposes for which the authority was created, and upon such terms and in such manner as the board may determine;
(8) Fix and collect fees and charges for the use of any and all of the projects of the authority;
(9) Make contracts, including, without limitation, contracts with service providers;
(10) Sell, exchange, donate, and convey any or all of its properties, whenever the board of directors shall find any such action to be in furtherance of the purposes for which the authority was organized;
(11) Procure and enter into contracts for any type of insurance or indemnity against loss or damage to property from any cause, including loss of use and occupancy, against death or injury of any person, against employer’s liability, against any act of any member, officer or employee of the authority in the performance of the duties of such person’s office or employment or any other insurable risk, as the board of directors, in its discretion, may deem necessary;
(12) Accept donations, contributions, revenues, capital grants or gifts from any individuals, associations, public or private corporations, and municipalities, the state or the United States, or any agency or instrumentality of the state or the United States, for or in aid of any of the purposes of this chapter and enter into agreements in connection with the donations, contributions, revenues, capital grants or gifts;
(13) Obtain such licenses, permits, approvals and accreditations as the authority deems necessary in connection with any project;
(14) Borrow money from time to time and, in evidence of any obligation incurred, issue and, pursuant to § 7-69-111, sell its revenue bonds in accordance with this chapter and the applicable provisions of title 9, chapter 21, in such form and upon such terms as its board of directors may determine and as approved by each governing body of a creating municipality, payable out of any revenues of the authority, including grants or contributions or other revenues specifically provided to the authority, for the purpose of financing the cost of any project and refund and refinance, from time to time, bonds so issued and sold, as often as may be deemed to be advantageous by the board of directors; and, pending the issuance of its revenue bonds for the purposes authorized in this chapter, issue its interim certificates or notes or other temporary obligations;
(15) Mortgage and pledge as security for the payment of the principal of and interest on any bonds so issued and any agreements made in connection with the bonds, any or all of the projects or any part or parts of the projects, whether then owned or thereafter acquired;
(16) Exercise all powers expressly given herein and establish bylaws and make all rules and regulations not inconsistent with this chapter, deemed expedient for the management of the affairs of the authority; and
(17)

(A) Participate as a joint venturer in a joint venture or as a member in a nonprofit corporation that attracts and promotes tourism or performs activities related to the exercise of any power granted to a tourism development authority;
(B) Elect all or any of the members of the board of directors of any nonprofit corporation of which the tourism development authority is a member and has the power to so elect under the nonprofit corporation charter and bylaws; and
(C) Accomplish and facilitate the creation, establishment, acquisition, operation or support of any such joint venture or nonprofit corporation, by means of loans of funds, acquisition or transfer of assets, leases of real or personal property, gifts and grants of funds or guarantees of indebtedness of such joint venture or nonprofit corporation.
(b) The authority shall not be required to have a seal.
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